How to Get Scholarships for the New York Film Academy

By Rianne Hill Soriano ; Updated September 15, 2017

The New York Film Academy (NYFA) is a film school with campuses in New York City and Los Angeles in the U.S. and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. With the financial demands needed when shooting film productions, taking a film course entails very expensive tuition fees. NYFA provides need-based scholarships to qualifying students who have limited financial resources for their schooling.

Apply for your intended film course at NYFA. Scholarship applications are only available for those who are already admitted to its programs. Basic admission requirements include transcript of records (high school or college), $50 nonrefundable application fee, narrative statement and creative portfolio. Visit the NYFA website to get the rest of the admission requirements. Once you get admitted to your desired program, you can start inquiring about the scholarship application.

Seek the assistance of the NYFA financial aid director to get the best advice on how to get the best funding source for your intended scholarship. According to the guidelines in the NYFA website, you can reach the director via email at financialaid@nyfa.edu.

Complete all the requirements provided to you by the financial aid director in order to demonstrate your financial need for a scholarship. The requirements typically include your parents’ income tax statement, if you are a dependent, or your own income tax statement, if you are already independent, and an essay describing your accomplishments and your justification to be considered for the scholarship.

Wait for the result of the application. If qualified, you will receive a notice informing you of the amount approved for your scholarship. The maximum amount that you can possibly get is $15,000, which is provided for an eligible student in the one-year program, the two-year program or the Master of Fine Arts program.

Look for third-party organizations and other sources that can possibly provide scholarship opportunities for you. Often, you may combine scholarships coming from different sources to further help you fund your studies.

If you’re a veteran, inquire about your eligibility for the GI Bill under the Funding and Veterans Discount. This is available at the NYFA’s New York City and Los Angeles campuses. As of July 2011, this can provide you with a 15 percent discount on your tuition. You can also research scholarship opportunities through various websites and books such as “Grants and Prizes,” “Kaplan Scholarships,” “Peterson's Scholarships” and “The Scholarship Book.” List potential scholarship opportunities, then send your applications accordingly.

Tip

NYFA offers short-term film courses that can range from an overnight workshop to a number of weeks or months of workshops. It also offers degree programs including Associate of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking, producing, screenwriting, cinematography, animation and acting.

About the Author

Rianne Hill Soriano is a freelance artist/writer/educator. Her diverse work experiences include projects in the Philippines, Korea and United States. For more than six years she has written about films, travel, food, fashion, culture and other topics on websites including Yahoo!, Yehey! and Herword. She also co-wrote a book about Asian cinema.